Laetitia
by unlikely2
Summary: Someone on FA asked for a story with "nice Slytherins" and I wondered about ambition. Late one night Harry meets someone unexpected. Two chapters. Not all that fluffy.
1. Laetitia

He could definitely hear sobbing.

His first thought had been _'Myrtle_' but this didn't sound like Moaning Myrtle as whoever was crying was clearly trying to stifle the noise. Unable to sleep he was, yet again, wandering late at night through the darkened school. Quietly he headed down the dark hall towards the sound and was surprised to discover that it was coming from overhead. He slipped off his invisibility cloak and pocketed it. 'Who's there?' he whispered loudly.

'Greg . . . Gregory is that you?'

As the moon came out from behind a cloud he could see the outline of a young girl perched on the narrow ledge of one of the high windows. _'One of the first years'_ he thought. She was shaking visibly and as he watched she finally lost her grip or her balance and fell. There was no time to shout the words but Harry was a powerful wizard, his intention was clear and her fall slowed perceptibly. Even so she hit the stone floor hard. There was a grunt of pain followed by a sudden indrawing of breath followed by several more sharp breaths as the child tried not to cry. Harry dropped to his knees beside her. 'Are you ok?' He reached out toward the huddle of dark robes. At his touch she began to struggle to her feet. Harry helped her. 'Are you hurt?'

Eventually she regained some sort of control. 'M'fine' she muttered. 'Bloody, bloody Gryffindors.'

Harry froze. 'What happened?' he asked softly.

'My wand's . . . hic . . . in the opposite window.'

'Accio wand.' Harry held the wand out toward the shadowy mass beside him. A pale hand emerged and took it.

'What happened?' he asked again.

'I got lost and they found me.'

'But why?'

'As if they need a reason!' She wiped her face on her robe. 'I suppose they leave Ravenclaws alone.'

Harry didn't know how to deal with the first thing she'd said so he addressed the second. 'You think I'm a Ravenclaw?'

'More likely than a Hufflepuff to be out breaking rules. Hufflepuffs are ok, though. I wouldn't mind being in Hufflepuff.'

'Who were they?' he asked; anger growing coldly within him as the small Slytherin shivered beside him.

'Doesn't matter.'

'Of course it bloody matters.'

'Their word against mine,' she said tiredly.

'And mine,' said Harry.

'I can deal with it. Look they're Gryffindors. Make a fuss and somehow it'll end up as my fault and I've already got detentions queued up until the middle of the week after next. Leave it. Is there a way back to the Dungeon that doesn't involve those bloody moving stairs?'

'Yes,' said Harry, mentally tracing a route down through the castle's fixed staircases, 'but it's a bit of a long way round.'

'I've been on that third floor corridor five times today. Is it longer than that?'

'Ok,' said Harry evenly 'this way.' For a while they walked in silence through darkened corridors.

'You believe that?' demanded Harry. 'You think that because they're Gryffindors they'd just be allowed to get away with it?

'Yes.' Her voice was barely audible.

'What makes you think so?'

They had traversed a corridor and climbed a short set of stairs before she replied. 'Ok. The first year Harry Potter came to this school, Slytherin won the cup right?'

'I remember,' said Harry. In his memory the green and silver flags hanging in the Great Hall changed to scarlet and gold.

'And then Dumbledore gave them enough points for Gryffindor to win.'

'You don't think the points were deserved?'

'I didn't say that. Perhaps they were.' They walked again in silence until she continued. 'What I meant was that Slytherin didn't deserve that.'

'What didn't Slytherin deserve?'

'Mockery. We were allowed to believe that we had won and then it was taken away. A lot of people worked hard for that. What was the point if the Headmaster was just going to overturn the whole thing at the last minute? If people aren't allowed to win within the system why should they even try?'

'Last year,' said Harry, 'Umbridge gave Slytherin . . . '

'Same thing,' she broke in. 'That was wrong but a lot of people just thought it was our turn.'

'Stop!' whispered Harry and his companion froze. 'Someone's coming.' They took refuge behind a bench in an alcove and waited. It was Filch, fortunately without his cat. Harry considered slipping his cloak around them both but he suspected that that would have been the same as announcing his name and he wasn't sure how she'd react. Instead he crouched silently beside the little Slytherin until Filch was a safe distance away. He wondered who she'd thought he was. 'Who's Gregory?'

'Gregory Goyle. He's nice.' They scrambled out from behind the furniture.

Well that was news to Harry. 'Big kid?' he said neutrally.

'Yes.' Harry waited. 'Apparently fourth years are always assigned detention looking out for first years, only he could never remember if he had detention or not so he just got into the habit. At least that's what he says. I think he just likes doing it. He reads bedtime stories only he says they're far too horrible so he keeps changing them. He's really, really funny. And he always checks that everyone's back safe in Slytherin. So he's probably looking for me.'

'How long were you up in that window?' asked Harry.

'Since after supper. I'd left something in the library and went back to get it. We were warned to stick together but, unfortunately, I tend to get distracted in the library so they didn't wait for me.' They had come to a junction. 'Which way now?'

'This way. I'm Harry by the way.'

He heard something that sounded like "Letisha Fortinbras".

'Pardon?'

'Letisha Fortinbras or "Tish", and please don't say "Bless you" or I shall be forced to add you to my list.'

'List?'

'Of persons who will be subjected to Official Harassments when I'm Minister of Magic.'

Harry thought about that. 'Really?'

'No. Even though I can actually imagine things more boring and I'd enjoy disposing of Fudge: the patronising prat.'

'Oh?' murmured Harry. 'Precisely what had you in mind?

'Well,' he could hear the smile in her voice, 'a few years reconciling Auror Expenses should do the trick. Those forms are killer.'

In the darkness Harry grinned. 'How d'you know that?' he asked.

'My aunt's an Auror. Mehitabel Fortinbras. She's brilliant. I stay with her sometimes. My dad was an Auror too.'

'_So much for evil Slytherins'_ thought Harry'Is that what you want to be?'

'No.' There was a pause and then she whispered 'Promise you won't laugh?'

'Course not.'

'Promise?'

'I promise.' They descended another flight of stairs.

'I want to be an Unspeakable. I want to find out why we can do magic and Squibs and Muggles can't.' She glanced sideways at him. 'You won't tell anyone?'

'I won't tell anyone,' promised Harry. Ahead he could see the lights of the entrance hall. She would have no problem from there.

'I'd like to find a way so that they could do magic too. Then we wouldn't have to hide.'

This wasn't a possibility that had ever occurred to Harry and for a few moments he was unable to formulate a reply. 'You can't have told your housemates that?' he said eventually.

'Actually I did. And then Professor Snape said that some families regard intelligence as a sign of poor breeding, so most of them thought it was a joke. If it's possible, it certainly won't be easy.'

'Ambition'said Harry as they emerged into the light of the Entrance Hall, 'the mark of the Slytherin.'

'And cunning. Oh, now I see where we are.' She turned towards him 'Thanks Ha . . . oh no . . .' She had clearly recognised the infamous Harry Potter.

'And cunning,' confirmed Harry smiling, 'although you might want to work on that.' He held out his hand. 'Goodnight Tish.'

After a moment her warm fingers touched his. 'Goodnight Harry.' A genuine if slightly rueful smile accompanied this before she slipped away though the doorway that lead down to the dungeons. Harry pulled the Marauder's Map from his pocket and watched as, in the Slytherin Common Room; "Laetitia Fortinbras" was briefly met by "Gregory Goyle" before heading for the Slytherin girls' dormitories.

'_So gruesome Gregory Goyle reads little kids bedtime stories,'_ he thought _'without the nasty bits'_. For some reason this both amused and saddened him. As he headed back toward Gryffindor Tower, he wondered if the hat might not be right.


	2. Harry

'Harry, what are you doing?'

'Mischief managed.' Harry closed the "Marauder's Map". 'Sorry Hermione, it's just . . .'

How did Harry explain his concern for the little Slytherin he had rescued the previous night from a high window? A child whose stated ambition was to give magical ability to muggles. Maybe inbreeding did indeed cause mental problems and yet it was strange, in the short time that it took Harry to return her to the safety of the dungeons, how concerned he had become about "Laetitia". Perhaps it was only a measure of how badly he himself had wanted someone to care about him. Pathetic really . . .

'Nothing.' Harry put away the map and bent his head to his transfiguration essay.

Two days later he came across her in the Library. She gave no sign of recognition, just hid in a corner with her books. Harry watched her covertly. He watched as four first years bearing the emblem of his House sauntered into the library, sat at her table, played with her hair and whispered in her ear.

When they had gone she put away her books and, without looking at Harry, left. But Harry had opened the map and noted the names.

After Quiddich he showered, dressed, and then checked the Map that he had left in his robes. Out beyond the Quiddich pitch he found the name 'Laetitia Fortinbas'. And four now familiar others, all of them from Gryffindor. 'Ron?' Noticing the tone in his voice Ron gave him a puzzled frown. 'Ron would you come with me?'

She was upside down in midair, foetally curled, vainly trying to cover herself with her robes. He could not see her face but he had no doubt that it was Laetitia. _Given her ambitions, _thought Harry, _surely it should have been Slytherin that tormented her?_ _But no. Four heroic Gryffindors._ 'What's going on?' asked Harry, quietly.

'Nothing.'

A whispered _'Finite Incantatum' _from beside him and Laetitia was suddenly lying prone on flattened grass. Harry strode towards her, knelt and slipped his fingers under her ear. 'Tish? Laetitia?' She looked dazed. He turned to find four first years suddenly very pale in the evening light.'

'I am not a Prefect,' said Harry. 'I can't take House Points, but I have friends that can. Why? Why do this?'

Harry could have cursed at their puzzlement. 'What? She's Slytherin . . .'

'Tish?' The child's eyes opened. Harry's arm was around her, he ran his fingers through tangled hair. 'I am so very sorry.' Ron loomed into view. 'Would you mindtaking these . . . Gryffindors to the Common Room? Tell Hermione.'

They left without speaking.

'Tish?'

Finally she sat up. 'Sod off.' She pushed him away, staggered to her feet and then backwards away from Harry. 'You just don't like the idea that your noble bloody Gryffindors are no more than a bunch of thugs.'

'No, I don't.'

'You . . .'

'Not me, Tish,' said Harry. 'I've been there too often myself.'

'Liar!' She was crying. Angrily she pushed tears from her face.

Harry tried again.. 'I grew up with Muggle relatives. The "what do we burn besides witches?" variety. My Muggle cousin: he's a lot bigger than me. He saw to it that I didn't have any friends before I came here. And I'm used to half the school thinking I'm dark just because I speak Parseltongue, or attention seeking because I try to tell the truth. Tish, please.' Her small hands clenched into her robes. 'Not just because I'm Gryffindor.'

'I'm Slytherin.'

'So am I. I . . . got the hat to put me somewhere else.' The child stiffened. 'That didn't help, did it? I got the hat to put me somewhere else because I'd fallen out with someone who got sorted into Slytherin.

There was a long silence as she considered the grass in front of her.

'Ambition,' she whispered, 'and cunning, and being "the boy who lived." Oh dear.' Finally she looked at him.

'Exactly. Imagine being "the boy who lived" and being sorted into Slytherin. They'd think I was the next Dark Lord. Even if my ambition was only . . . I just wanted to be myself, even if that meant having to deal with the Voldemort. Tish? We do what we have to. And stupidity comes from all the houses. Even Ravenclaw sometimes. '

She looked sceptical.

'No really.' He smiled. 'Different sort of stupidity and don't repeat this. I heard one of our brilliant Ravenclaws developed a cleaning solution. A really powerful one. They only discovered that there was a problem last summer when the furniture began to fall through the floor.'

'Very funny.'

'Would I lie to you?'

Her trying not to cry was suddenly trying not to laugh. 'Would you?'

'Well yeah. I told you. The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin', said Harry. 'What were you doing out here anyway?'

'I wanted to go flying.'

'So where's your broom?'

'The school brooms are only guarded by simple spells and my aunt's an Auror. I'm good at opening things. I thought I'd borrow one'

'You don't say?' Harry held out his Firebolt. Surprise, awe and then disbelief chased one another across Laetitia's face.

'You're kidding.'

'Not unless being seen borrowing Harry Potter's broom is a problem?'

'Harry.' She was speaking as though to a fool. 'To some of my House power is power, and influence is influence, wherever it comes from and the others won't care. Good grief. Perhaps it's as well that you are in Gryffindor.'

'What?'

'If you'd half a brain you'd be dangerous.' A sly grin took away the sting of her remark and Harry smiled. Laetitia took Harry's Firebolt, mounted it and flew off into the twilight. Harry wondered if he should be worried and then decided against it. He watched as she flew around and around the pitch, occasionally trying stunts but mostly just flying out over the forest and the lake, enjoying the simple freedom of being. He understood completely.

'_How much,'_ thought Harry, _'does how you are defined determine what you can become? But wasn't 'Slytherin' just a name?' _What if he, Harry, had actually been sorted into Slytherin? The thought was scary.

'Potter?'

It was Gregory Goyle. Harry had not heard him approach.

'Yes?' Harry replied, warily.

'What's going on?' Goyle was too close. Harry would not have time to draw his wand before Goyle scragged him.

'I leant her my broom.'

'Why?'

'Because she's a good kid.'

'Ok.' Goyle relaxed.

Finally noticing Goyle's arrival, Laetitia pulled in beside them and dismounted.

'Hi Greg.' She smiled at Goyle shyly and the massive boy's face was suddenly also lit by a surprisingly gentle smile. 'Thanks Harry.' She handed back the Firebolt and started telling Goyle all about it.

Harry watched as they walked away into the gathering darkness.


End file.
